PAUL JAMES "JIM" DOUGHERTY was born in Huron, South Dakota, on December 26, 1938, to Wayne and Ina Idness Dougherty. He died peacefully at La Posada Hospice in Las Cruces, NM, Tuesday, September 16, 2025. As described by his wife Dorothea, "He was born in a blizzard in North Dakota and died in the warm desert sun he loved."

Jim had one brother, Jerry Phillip Dougherty, now deceased. When Jim was 2 years old, the Dougherty family moved to Las Vegas, NM where his father began work with the Mountain Bell Telephone Company. They later lived in Raton, Artesia, and Springer, NM.  Jim attended Springer Elementary School and graduated from Artesia High School.

When Jim was 17 ½ years old, he joined the Army Reserves. He later attended New Mexico State University, attaining a Bachelor Degree in Business Administration. After graduation, he married Dorothea Ann Gantz on November 24, 1961, at St. James Episcopal Church, Las Cruces. They moved to Tucumcari, NM, where he was employed with the New Mexico Highway Department. The next stop in his professional life was Las Cruces, where he worked at the NASA Apollo Site and managed the Work Control section, helping refine development of the Lunar Module that would place man on the moon. In 1987, Jim became the Comptroller for the Las Cruces Public School system, from which both he and wife Dot retired, at age 53.

After retirement, the two of them spent much time getting better acquainted with the Southwestern United States, often with close friends. The next fun-filled adventures included multiple European cruises in which they developed close relationships with people from other countries. Those friendships evolved into each couple hosting the other in their own countries' multiple times.

Jim was a member of the Methodist Church, Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, the informal retired educator's coffee club, the Picacho Gun Club, and the NRA as both Patron and Endowment member. A marksman of outstanding skill, Jim won numerous competitions, medals and was honored in 1984 by the NRA for breaking the national record in the Long-Range Pistol Silhouette Unlimited Standing competition.

In addition to his passion for shooting and gun maintenance/modification, Jim became an accomplished lathe and milling machine inventor. He invented ways to help his many friends modify and improve any desired project and helped many others with repairs of many sorts.

Jim is survived by sister-in-law Jean Dougherty; nephew Keith Dougherty and wife Carol; nieces Kimberly Dougherty and Karen Brignac and husband Steve; and his many "adopted' children, nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews, college students and caregivers that he and Dot took under their wings, let live in their home, cared for and loved.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to the Mesilla Valley Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, 299 E. Montana Ave., Las Cruces, NM, 88005 or St. James Episcopal Church, 102 St. James Street, Las Cruces, NM, 88005.

A Memorial Service will be held at 10 AM Saturday, October 4, 2025, at St. James Episcopal Church, 102 St. James Avenue, Las Cruces, NM 88005 with Dr. Scott A. Ruthven Officiating.

Service arrangements have been entrusted to the care of Baca's Funeral Chapel of Las Cruces and Sunset Crematory, 300 E. Boutz Road, 527-2222. Your exclusive provider for "Veterans and Family Memorial Care." For online condolences logon to www.bacasfuneralchapelslascruces.com